4/17 -- Fly/Drive to Sikkim

Although our flight north was at 10:20, we left the hotel at 8am for the 20 minute drive which took about an hour in the terrible Delhi traffic. The plane started boarding around 9:30, which seemed kind of early for a 737, but then we left about a half hour late as they actually waited for a delayed flight and a dozen passengers. 

We headed out in 2 8-passenger vans to go to lunch in Siliguri, a large regional shopping area before continuing to Martam, a village in East Sikkim, about 75 miles north of the airport. The roads quickly became steep and narrow and twisty so  I closed my eyes and dozed to avoid motion sickness. Jim reported that there were very steep dropoffs, no guardrails, and several places where the road condition forced the driver to slow down to a crawl. The 65 mile drive took about 5 hours, which gives you an idea of our average rate of speed.

We crossed into Sikkim at Rangpo, which was more like crossing a country border than a state border. We got off and walked around and saw a big sign for Domino's Pizza close by. We finally arrived at the Martam Retreat at 7:40 pm. They served dinner when we arrived, but it really felt kind of late to eat. I was glad to get to our room and collapse.

Top 3 photos: on the drive from Siliguri to Rangpo

The trimmed bushes between the white flagged trees are
tea trees. They are kept very short most places.

We arrive in Sikkim

The Sikkim side of the entry gate